Say No More!: Experiential Consumption and the Spoiler Effect of Positive Word of Mouth

Kendra Hart, Ivey Business School, University of Western Ontario, CanadaMirand R. Goode, Ivey Business School, University of Western Ontario, CanadaMatthew Thomson, Ivey Business School, University of Western Ontario, Canada

The prevailing wisdom in the word of mouth (WOM) literature is that WOM from a trusted source influences a receiver’s attitudes in line with the valence of the message. Our work explores a wrinkle in this wisdom: in some contexts, positive WOM from a trusted source can have unintended negative effects on evaluation. Specifically, we find that when in the market for experiential products, consumers evaluate their future consumption less positively when they have received information about a similar experience from a trusted source.